Thanks for coming on and replying to so many posts. It's pretty awesome to see a product designer answer questions.
KUVRD said:
Does not coexist with hoods at all; no reversing hoods possible, more space in bag wasted on hood storage. For all the photographers who use hoods, this is not an issue. This is NOT a CON. It still stretches over a lens hood in reverse or when it’s locked into place at the end of lens. You are right that it does not work if you put the ULC on first and THEN the lens hood. It will not grab onto the filter ring. But, you can still put the lens hood over the ULC. It just wouldn’t be locked into place. Meaning it would not take up more space.
I think the easiest way to overcome this and objections about the time to put on or take off a lens cap is to have these in camera stores, were someone like me can just try it for themselves. It's really hard for me to imagine the efficacy of a this with a hood, but it's entirely possible that I'm just not imagining it right.
Also, many Canon lens hoods have a button to unlock (facing outwards). Wouldn't this concept interfere with that?
I also have a hard time imagining this being very helpful in being protective on some reversed hoods (or more protective than a regular lens cap), like 24-70 f/4, which has quite a bit larger outer diameter than the lens, but is quite shallow.
KUVRD said:
Will likely reposition / alter your variable ND or CPL ring orientation each time you use it. NEVER in my life have I ever heard of a photographer who literally pulls out their camera and just takes a shot…. Photographers are ALWAYS adjusting knobs, camera settings, lenses etc. because of light, subject proximity, motion, etc. In addition, we’ve stretched a Universal Lens Cap onto a lens, moved it around and then taken it off 115 times in a row, check periodically to see if the focusing ring or zoom ring change and the end result was that the focus ring was off focus by a few degrees. NOT enough of a PRO or a CON to place it on one side or the other.
The difference, though, is on a Variable ND or CPL, you set it to taste for the purpose, and may run around a whole bunch (like, while hiking) and you may not need to fuss with the filter again for a while (if you're taking similar types of shots). Unlike a dial or knob, you can't see if it moved on you, and there's no lock. Especially if you're outdoors, between stretches, you might want to pop a lens cap on to prevent your filter from getting scratched (since those can be super expensive), or even dirty (since some can also be a pain to clean).
On the other hand, the outer diameter of the filter is usually slightly smaller than the lens barrel, so perhaps it won't get moved much, because contact with the filter ring is minimal?
KUVRD said:
Masks the true size/shape of the lens in your bag, making lenses harder to identify. haha, okay this was kind of a funny one. I don’t know about you, but I know of only three people that have more than 5 lenses…
Without trying to sound confrontational, I think there are a lot of people participating on this forum who have a whole lot more than 5 lenses
I know I do, and some of them that I may carry around at the same time do have similar dimensions. Maybe a solution is to offer colored, patterned, or otherwise marked ones in the future.
For myself, it's hard to imagine this as a solution for me. I know we're talking about only few seconds here and there, but I it doesn't seem like there are enough advantages to justify that. However, I respect that you guys are trying to make something new and innovative, and if I see this in a camera store, I'll give it a fair shake!
Thanks much for your time.